Til Death Do Us Party
by Rhino7
Summary: Cloud doesn't fit in with the Restoration Committee, nor does he want to. But when he wakes up in an alternate reality, he realizes that maybe solitude isn't all that it's cracked up to be. Sprinkles of Clerith and Lefa and mild absurdity.
1. Part I

**Til Death Do Us Party**

**By Rhino7**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, its characters or storyline. This story is mine, as are Mikayla, Liam, Rose, and Katherine, and also the Djinn Heartless idea.**

**This is just a bit of nonsense that I thought up some time ago. Originally, it was going to be from Leon's side, but Cloud is starting to grow on me, so I thought I'd exploit his awkwardness for this.**

**This story will be in three chapters and is merely intended for humor; so beware the occasional nonsense and considered OOCness that was necessary to make it work.**

**Constructive criticism welcome and appreciated!**

**..:-X-:..**

"And as soon as it draws blood—wham!" Yuffie smacked her palm on the table, "—you go out like a light!"

"I think you've been reading too many science fiction novels." Aerith remarked coolly.

"I don't think that's it." Cid commented from the computer. "That would require her to actually read once in a while."

Tifa snorted at that, but Yuffie threw her shoe at him. "I do too read!"

"Sunday comics don't count." Cid snorted, catching the shoe so it wouldn't damage the monitor.

The group was at Merlin's that evening, enjoying the rare hour where no Heartless attacked Radiant Garden. Aerith had actually managed to convince Cloud to join them…though how long that would last wasn't certain. He simply didn't fit in. That was all there was to it. Not that he had tried very hard to anyway. So while Yuffie and Cid traded playful insults, Tifa goaded them on, and Aerith shook her head at their behavior, he loitered near the wall…wondering how long was long enough to slip out without being rude.

"It's true!" Yuffie jumped to her feet. "I saw it last week when I was out on patrol with Squall!"

"Well, he ain't here to back you up, so I call bullshit." Cid pointed at her.

Tifa finished sewing shut the hole in her glove, slipping it on to make sure it held. "And I've never heard of a Heartless knocking you out with a scratch."

Yuffie took that as fighting words, "Well, open your ears, lady. This thing was five feet tall, had blue tattoos all over it, and these weird claws—like an eagles!—and it barely touched the guy and he was down for the count."

"Maybe he fainted." Aerith shrugged.

"He was a veteran." Yuffie remarked, deadpan.

"Tattoos?" Cid lifted an eyebrow.

"Shut up." Yuffie growled. "I know what I saw! Merlin told me it might be this thing called a djinn. A new kind of Heartless that traps you in a dream-state until—"

"Bullshit." Cid interrupted her.

Aerith looked over to Cloud. "What do you think?"

He paused, wrongfooted by his sudden inclusion in the ridiculous conversation. "I…don't know." He glanced the other way.

Aerith deflated a little at his dismissal, but what did she expect? He didn't care about djinn Heartless…Whether they existed or not wasn't of importance to him. The only good Heartless was a dead Heartless in his opinion…talking about it didn't change anything. Yuffie and Cid ignored his lack of response and kept jabbering. Tifa glanced his way but then rejoined the other two.

He and Tifa hadn't spoken much either since their falling out. He hated that she didn't trust him anymore…but he understood why she didn't. He had never really talked to her about…anything. He had actually avoided her, and ended up digging himself a hole. Still, the fact that she had basically ended their friendship because of it hurt. But he could never tell her that…because…Hell, he just couldn't.

The door to the house opened and Leon walked in, gunblade awkwardly held in his left hand and closing the door with his left elbow. And there was all the more reason for Cloud to be on his way. As much as he and Tifa hadn't gotten along well lately, he had gotten along with Leon even less. He was sure it was because Leon and Tifa had started becoming…something complicated. Yuffie and Tifa glanced over at his entrance.

"What happened to you?" Tifa greeted from across the room.

"Hello to you too." Leon grunted, setting the gunblade against the wall and finding the others' eyes on him. "What?"

"You're right handed." Aerith commented.

Yuffie leaned sideways in her chair, "Your right hand is still attached, so why are you lefthanding the gunblade?"

"Because shut up." Leon mumbled at her, getting a smirk from the young ninja.

Cloud could already feel the tension in the room rising. He and Leon could be civil, sure, but the hostility was there, unspoken, boiling under the surface…It was like how it had been with Tifa just a few weeks ago. At least she was starting to cool off now.

"Is that blood?" Aerith commented.

Tifa sat up in her seat, looking over. "What did you do?"

"I—nothing." Leon lifted his shoulders, "I used a Cura. All better. See?" He lifted his right hand. "Leave it alone."

"Tell 'em about that freaky Heartless we saw last week." Yuffie jumped in. "The one with the tattoos. Tell them about how it barely touched the guy and he passed out."

Leon gave her a flat look and then looked to the others. "We saw a Heartless…with tattoos…and it barely touched a guy and he passed out."

Yuffie threw her other shoe at him, which he ducked.

Cloud took the opportunity to slip over to the door and step out. The cool night air of Radiant Garden greeted him and he sighed with relief. He had promised Aerith that he would start trying to be more present around Radiant Garden, maybe even 'hang out' with the Restoration Committee…but it was time to admit that it just wasn't going to—

"Where are you going?" Aerith had slipped out the door after him.

He paused in his steps, halfway toward the Bailey already. "Getting some air."

A glance back showed that she wasn't biting the bait.

"There's air in there." She nodded toward Merlin's house, hands loose at her sides. "Why are you leaving?"

He swallowed and scanned the Borough, giving a light shrug. "It was a little crowded."

She exhaled and walked over to him. "If Leon said something to you—"

"No." Cloud shook his head, "I'm still in the 'silent treatment' phase there."

"I'll talk to him—"

"No, Aerith." He lifted a hand, "Please. I know they're your friends, but let's face it…I don't get along with them."

"If you spent more than five minutes at a time around them, maybe you would." She put her hands on her hips.

He frowned at that. "I can't."

"Can't what? Try?" Her eyes looked upset. "You get along fine with Cid and Yuffie. Or at least you don't mind being around each other. You and Tifa are…getting better. And Leon just ignores you now instead of picking a fight. It's as close to acceptance from him as you're going to get at this rate."

"At this rate?" Cloud looked at her. "I don't know how to do better. Aerith, I'm not cut out for social situations like this. I'm not a…social butterfly like you."

"Nobody is asking you to be a social butterfly," She sighed, "But things would go a lot easier if you didn't sulk in the corner refusing to talk to anybody."

He exhaled and closed his eyes briefly. Her argument made sense in theory, but not in practice. In reality, he and Tifa were going to continue not talking because Tifa didn't want to talk to him. In reality, he and Leon were going to continue cold-shouldering each other because Leon sided with Tifa on the whole argument. But…in reality…Aerith wasn't going to let this go.

"Please…come back inside." She pressed gently. "If they really can't stand you for just half an hour…then at least give Leon the satisfaction of kicking you out properly." She teased, a grin quirking the corner of her mouth.

Cloud looked at her and tried to come up with an excuse not to besides 'I can't' or 'I don't want to' and failed. It didn't matter what enemies he defeated or how many battles he fought, those dewy green eyes of hers could get him to do anything.

"This would be a lot easier too if you would just admit that you WANT to be friends with them." She continued to argue. "You and Leon could be friends if your thick skulls didn't get in the way…and as far as Tifa goes—"

He huffed, "Fine."

"Really?" She blinked and clasped her hands together in front of her.

"Yeah, all right." He conceded. "I'll…I'll try harder."

_Even if I don't want to._

_Even if I don't deserve to have friends like that._

_Even if I don't deserve to be with you in the first place._

One of the cylindrical columns of Cid's claymore security system expanded a few yards to his right with that identifying cling-clatter noise. Aerith started slightly and they both looked over at the sound.

Heartless.

But none of the shadows moved under the moon's light, and Cloud pulled out his heavily bandaged sword, moving between Aerith and the spot where the security system had been activated. Aerith backstepped and suddenly pointed to the left.

"There!"

He turned just in time to see one of the shadows launch itself out of the darkness. The shape was roughly humanoid, roughly five feet tall—or long, considering it was flying at him horizontally—and large talons stretched toward him.

Yuffie's oversized shuriken slammed into the side of it, and the Heartless tumbled across the cobblestone. The shuriken boomeranged back to the ninja as she ran out of Merlin's front door.

"I told you! Ha! I sooo told you!" She pointed as she practically dragged Cid out with her.

Cid must have seen the activation on one of the computer monitors where he kept tabs on the security system. "All I see are normal Heartless." He grunted.

Aerith gasped and backed up more toward the house, "There're more of them."

Leon followed Yuffie out into the Borough as roughly five or six more claymores activated. The shadowy masses seemed to sidestep the columns and Cloud squinted in the darkness. They almost looked like they were swimming through the air around the claymores…In that unnatural way that the Nobodies moved.

The first one that had attacked got to its feet. It had regained its wits and hadn't appreciated the counter. It hissed and charged again. This time Cloud set his feet, gripped his sword, and swung around. The blade caught just under the Heartless's left arm, slicing through it. The creature shrieked and doubled back, talons flexing.

"Don't let it cut you!" Yuffie backflipped away from another one, which had launched toward her. "We saw this last week! They send you into a dream—"

"Yuffie!" Leon barked at her, decapitating the Heartless that was after her. "Pay attention!"

Cloud finished off the first Heartless with one smooth thrust through its ribcage. It buckled and collapsed into purple smoke over his blade and he withdrew, squinting and trying to estimate how many were taking part in this attack. It was so damn hard to figure in the darkness of the late evening.

"Cloud!" Tifa cried out in warning.

He half turned just as another of the creatures reached him. Too close to attack, too fast to block, and too dark to properly see—

Claws tore into the flesh of his shoulder and the world went black.

**..:-X-:..**

"No, he's still asleep…I'm not waking him up…Because he's grumpier than you in the morning…Dad, please, you are such a grouch when you wake up—Yeah, last time I almost called a young priest and an old priest…" A woman was saying.

Cloud opened his eyes, feeling groggy as he stared up at the helicopter blades…But helicopters didn't fly indoors…Those blades belonged to a…ceiling fan? He blinked, watching the disks spin a few times. His head was pounding and it felt like he was lying on a couch.

What had happened? More importantly, where was he?

Something the size of a marble landed on his chest and he looked down. A…piece of cereal? He paused and looked around, finding himself lying on a brown couch in what looked like a modestly furnished living room. Another piece of cereal hit him from nowhere.

"Rose, Liam, stop it." The woman reprimanded, "…Nothing, they're just playing with their food…I know, I know…Dad—Dad, I know!"

Utterly confused, Cloud slowly sat up, looking back over the couch toward the other room. The living room was directly connected to a moderate kitchen area, definitely decorated by a woman…But that wasn't what got his attention.

What got his attention were the three kids sitting at the table watching him while an older girl, still in her teens, leaned against the counter in that teenaged girl way with a phone against her ear.

What the Hell—

The teenaged girl glanced over, looked thoroughly unsurprised to see him, and spoke into the phone, "Oh, nevermind, Operation Cheerio woke him up…Uh huh…I will…Dad, you're gross…Yeah, love you too, bye." She hung up and looked at him flatly. "About time you regained consciousness."

The three younger kids at the table were snickering. The teenager had her brown hair up in a ponytail that trailed over her shoulder, dressed like a normal teenager…And Cloud had no idea who she was…or the two little girls and one boy eating cereal at the table.

"What?" He managed to garble out, climbing out of the couch to his feet—

And nearly tripped over the scattered children's toys all over the floor.

"It's eight thirty." The girl said—as if that should mean something. "You told Dad you'd be over at eight…I'm charging you for this hour, y'know."

She was the…babysitter? Then whose kids were those? They probably belonged to the same people whose house this was…not that he had any fricking clue about that either.

"I don't…know how I got here." He replied honestly, looking at her.

"Well, my theory is aliens," The girl remarked in that deadpan tone. "but Liam thinks you're a robot."

The little boy—Liam apparently—bobbed his head, "Like the Terminator!"

The little girl who looked about Liam's age swatted his arm. "No he's not!"

"Then maybe alien-robot?" The older girl shrugged.

Cloud lifted his hands, "Whoa, whoa, whoa…I'm not an alien…or a robot…or an alien-robot…I just need to know how I got here…and where 'here' is."

The older girl narrowed one eye at him and slowly smiled. "You Cloud. Me Mikayla." She gestured to herself like he was a monkey with a learning problem. "Liam," She pointed to the boy, "Rose," pointed to the girl, "and Katherine." She pointed to the much younger little girl…the only one actually eating her breakfast.

Rose and Liam found Mikayla's little act amusing and laughed at her.

"Now, scurry on before Dad has to set up for the party all by himself." Mikayla waved a hand at him.

"Party…" Cloud repeated.

Clearly, they had him confused for someone else. Had he stumbled into some alternate world or something? The last thing he remembered was…Heartless. A Heartless attack on the Borough outside Merlin's house. He had been fighting them with the Restoration Committee before…what? What had happened? It was all blurry.

As much as he tried to remember, nothing was coming back. He was only becoming more certain by the minute that he had never been in this house before. There was nothing familiar about it, aside from that lingering sense of déjà vue that he dismissed as disorientation. Kidnapping was ridiculous, and the air had that vague aroma of a fresh rain and cut wood: it smelled like Radiant Garden.

So where the Hell was he?

Mikayla chuckled…probably thinking he was just playing some sort of game. This was no game, he wanted to say, but she spoke before he could. "The house with the balloons on the front porch." She said, as though to a slow person.

Outing himself was probably not a good idea, he pondered. Whoever they were mistaking him for, at least they were mistaking him for somebody friendly. If he just played the part, maybe he could figure out from context clues where the Hell he was, get out of here, and find a way back to Merlin's. Easier said than done…but it sounded better than freaking out a house full of kids.

"O…kay." He mumbled, awkwardly turning and stepping down the hallway.

A small decorative mirror was hanging against the wall and he absently glanced at it…and immediately double took. His reflection was…still him…but…not right…Gawking, he squinted at the mirror. He looked like he'd aged nearly twenty years…The mirror had to be messed up…the lighting or something…And there was a dark, three inch scar just over his collar bone that he didn't remember having before. He blinked and stepped away from the mirror, looking at it again. From back here, he almost looked normal.

Shaking his head, he looked down at himself. He was still him…just—A ring. There was…there was a ring on his finger…Lifting his hand, his eyes grew to the size of dinner plates at the plain little band around his ring finger…

Dear God…

Refusing to look at the mirror again, he kept walking down the hall, his mind scrambling for some anchor to logic to latch on to. Strange house, strange kids, strange mirrors, and now this strange ring…strange ring that looked like a wedding ring…No, he would remember something like THAT happening…This was all some big…messed up...impossible mistake.

The first door he came across opened into a small garage, where an aged white pick up was sitting idle next to a mass with a sheet thrown over it. Still gathering no clues about whose house this was, he slowly walked into the open space.

"Oh, and Cloud." Mikayla swung into the doorway.

He staggered slightly. "Yeah?" He tried to recover.

She looked deadpan, "Watch out for Tabs. She's still…camping."

Whatever that meant.

"Right." He replied uncomfortably.

She disappeared into the hallway and he turned around, looking at the truck. Well, now what? That girl knew his name was Cloud…And he didn't know of any other guys named 'Cloud' running around…Which made this predicament all the more confusing. Running a hand over his head, he walked around the truck and eyed the sheet-covered mass. Tires were just visible under the edge of the material.

Curious, he crossed over to it, glanced to the door, saw no one, and lifted the sheet.

The shiny black hide of Fenrir greeted him.

Cloud froze.

"What the Hell…" he murmured, peeling more of the sheet back until the cloth tumbled away.

No doubt about it…That was Fenrir…HIS Fenrir…sitting here in John Doe's garage. What was she doing here? He frowned, tossing the cloth aside. It was marginally different…One of the rearview mirrors was crooked, and the kickstand looked like it had been replaced…And it was dusty…He had never allowed the motorcycle to get dusty.

Still reeling, he crossed over and opened the garage door. The short driveway spilled onto a black asphalt street. Nothing but trees and grass and a few other houses dotting the road as it looped around toward…Radiant Garden: he knew that skyline anywhere.

Relieved to see at least one familiar sight, he returned to Fenrir, kicked up the stand, and wheeled it back toward the road. He barely missed clipping the mailbox and paused when the name on the side of it caught his eye.

Strife.

He had a mailbox? Wait…this was his address? Which meant—

Cloud turned and followed the driveway with his eyes, looking at the exterior of the house for the first time. It was a two-story house with off-white vinyl siding, a wrap around front porch, red shutters pushed away from the windows. This was…his house?

In WHAT universe?

Dumbstruck, he stood there staring at the house like an idiot for a full minute before shaking his head. He was hallucinating. That had to be it. Something had happened during that fight with the Heartless…yesterday?...and now he was seeing things…impossible, absurd, ridiculous things…

He averted his eyes from the house and swung a leg over the side of Fenrir. The familiar feel of the bike eased the knots in his stomach slightly, but not much. Maybe if he just didn't look at the house and that incriminating mailbox, it would realize that it wasn't supposed to exist and it would go away.

Because that made so much more sense, he thought dryly.

The key, which had been hanging in the ignition, turned over the engine with a twist and he almost started forward when he remembered his cellphone in his pocket. Whipping it out, he opened his contact list and started scrolling for Aerith's number.

Wait, this couldn't be right—

Aerith was the first contact in the list, but under that was…Arthur…Who was that? He didn't know any Arthurs…And then Biggs…and Cid…Dale? Evelyn? Leon…Merlin…Mikayla…Pam? Dozens more that he didn't recognize…Tabs—there was that name again-Tifa…Yuffie…

Pursing his lips, his finger hovered over the call button but then he closed the phone and pocketed it. This was seriously messed up. He wanted to try and figure this out before getting Aerith or the others involved…

Yuffie's words about djinn Heartless came back to him as he started driving Fenrir down the road. The Heartless that they had been fighting before he blacked out sure matched her description—oh, this was ridiculous…A scratch from a Heartless sending him into some screwed up mindwarp made about as much sense as a wormhole sucking him in…or a mailbox with his name on it…

It was all he had to go on though…even if the landscape he was driving past looked as real as any day he'd spent in Radiant Garden before now. He could see the skyline up ahead. He could just swing into town, find Merlin's, and hopefully get to the bottom of this before this nonsense started making sense.

Balloons on a front porch came into view.

Mikayla had said that he—Cloud—was supposed to be helping her father for some…party. More hallucination, he assumed, but the curiosity of it was almost enough for him to consider stopping to see…He glanced toward the Radiant Garden city skyline, hesitated, and then decelerated, bringing Fenrir to a rolling stop on the curb in front of the strange house.

Same size, same basic structure as the first house, the house he'd woken up in. Only this one was brick and had a smaller porch…and no kids running around it or throwing cereal.

Damn…fricking…curiosity. He cursed inwardly for allowing himself to get pulled into this and killed the engine. Fenrir fell quiet and he slid off of it, standing uncomfortably by the mailbox. He looked at the box, but the name must have been on the other side, because there wasn't—

A low whistle came across the front lawn.

"It's been a while since that thing has seen daylight."

Cloud glanced around and located the source of the voice. He didn't recognize the man at first, half leaning out of a green jeep with bags in his arms, but as soon as he turned, Cloud felt both relief and further confusion.

"Enjoying the freedom until Aerith gets back…or is this a midlife crisis thing?" Leon remarked, lifting the bags out of the jeep.

So much wrong in those ten seconds that dumbly staring was all Cloud could do.

First and most disturbing, Leon had spoken to him without any bite or narrowed eyes…He had sounded downright…friendly.

Second, whatever delusions Cloud was having about looking older, it was afflicting Leon too. He looked Cid's age.

Third, midlife crisis?

Fourth, Aerith gets back from where?

Fifth…what the Hell was he talking about?

"Er…what?" Cloud finally managed.

"We're at T minus three hours until they get back. Help me out." Leon replied, nodding toward the remaining bags in the jeep as he walked toward the house.

A friendly Leon was a Leon to be wary of, and Cloud suddenly wished that he had gone with his first instinct: to just beeline to the city sect of Radiant Garden.

"They…" Cloud repeated apprehensively, moving slowly up the driveway.

"Last I heard, Yuffie was driving, so it's probably really T minus two hours." Leon continued.

Okay, so maybe Cloud and Leon had never gotten along…but Cloud at least knew the man to be sensible…This was not sensible behavior. He was acting like—Whatever. Cloud shook his head and decided to just keep playing along…or go insane.

"Mikayla said…to watch out…for Tabs?" He tentatively attempted, taking the remaining bags out of the jeep and following Leon inside.

They walked into a large kitchen that wasn't exactly messy…It was organized. Less of a messy room than of a room thoroughly used, including print outs, notes, and childish drawings stuck with magnets to the fridge. Leon snorted with a grin as he set the bags on the counter top. Cloud set his bags down as well.

"Kids." Cloud muttered, thinking back to the toys at the first house and the drawings all over the place at this house. "We have kids."

Saying it out loud made it sound even more…outlandish.

"Hm, memory loss does come with old age." Leon ribbed at him, "But you don't get to claim the plural. Or did you forget how long it took you guys to have Rose?"

Again…so much wrong that Cloud just stared at the other man.

Leon noticed him staring and snorted. "You know, you're not supposed to drink the water in the bong." He snapped his fingers in front of Cloud's face as though to snap him out of it.

Djinn Heartless-induced mind-warp suddenly wasn't sounding so farfetched.

"Rose is my daughter." He mumbled, thinking back—which one had she been?

The sarcastic teenager had been Mi…Michelle? Mikayla, right. The boy was Liam. Two girls, Rose and Katherine…Katherine had been the smallest one…

Leon squinted one eye at him. "Are you okay?"

He sounded genuinely concerned and it wrongfooted Cloud for a moment.

"I…don't know—Yeah." He shook his head. "I'm fine."

Yuffie had never said what had happened to the random guy after he went 'out like a light'. She hadn't sounded mournful or pained about it, so surely the man hadn't died or remained in the coma…Which meant Cloud would eventually wake up from this…right? He hoped so, because this sudden thrust into…normal life…was almost too much to handle.

He sighed and rubbed his forehead. His statement placated Leon, who went right back to…whatever he was doing…Planning a party? 'Leon' and 'party' in the same sentence was…well about as ridiculous as everything else Cloud had seen in the past hour. If he really had been shoved into some 'dream-state' and this was a delirium, he would just have to ride it out and wait for it to pass…Then things could get back to normal.

"—still camped out just outside the tree line. Tifa wouldn't put up with the smoke otherwise." Leon was talking.

Cloud blinked. "Hm." He grunted noncommittally.

"Just remind her what's going on and tell her to put away the hard stuff before Mikayla brings the kids back over. She usually remembers, but you know her." Leon went on.

Utterly lost—again—Cloud looked at the other man. "Where…again?"

He left off the 'who' and the 'what in the world are you talking about' because he had the feeling Leon was already noticing something off about him.

"Just on the other side of the trees. Red teepee, you can't miss it." He answered.

This must be the 'Tabs is still camping' thing that Mikayla had mentioned.

"Okay." He awkwardly moved toward the door.

"Tifa, Aerith, and Yuffie will be back in about two hours, so I'll get the grill going while you're talking Tabs down…Because last time you were on grill, Aerith didn't speak to me for a week." Leon chided.

Forcing himself not to overanalyze THAT statement, Cloud just gave a vague nod and left the house. He moved across the yard toward the treeline behind the house, glancing back a few times to reassure himself that there really was a house there, with a domesticated-Leon tottering around inside.

This day was getting weirder by the minute.

And it was about to get a LOT weirder.


	2. Part II

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, its characters or storyline. This absurdity is mine, as are Mikayla, Liam, Katherine, and Rose…as well as McCallister. Ah, I see you read chapter one and decided to keep reading. Thanks! **

**Some sentimentality flies in from left field in this chapter…It couldn't be helped. Enjoy the fluff!**

**..:-X-:..**

Cloud spotted the red camping tent just beyond the tree line, as Leon had explained. A small campfire had recently been doused, and a few wisps of dying smoke were curling up out of it. Sitting with her back to Cloud was a woman with short hair, tied back in a yellow bandana. From the state of her clothing and the large glass bong leaning against the side of the tent…she was a hippie or stoner of some kind.

Friendly, upbeat, and energetic was extremely odd on Leon, but tolerating drug use like this was downright impossible to believe. Not to mention the fact that this woman appeared to be squatting on his property. Before Cloud could completely process what he was looking at, his boot snapped a twig underfoot.

The sound carried and the woman swiveled in her seat with both the smooth speed of a trained soldier, but the relaxed swing of a…drunkard or something. He didn't recognize her immediately, but she clearly recognized him: story of his day so far.

"Hey, hey." She greeted throatily with a lopsided smile.

At this point, nothing really surprised him anymore.

"Hello." He responded slowly.

One of her brown eyes narrowed, "Why are you weird?"

As she got to her feet, albeit unsteadily, he took a cautionary step sideways.

"What do you mean?" He asked carefully.

"You're not…you-you." She leaned away slightly, eyes getting wide. "Dude…are you a robot? Did they replace the real Cloud Strife with a robot?"

"What? No." He looked at her flatly. "Why do people keeping saying that here?"

It was one thing for small, imaginative children to throw around theories like that, but a grown woman? She had to be a few colors short of a rainbow. He eyed her warily.

She brazenly looked him up and down. "Because you're all…stiff looking. You look like you swallowed a lemon…and I haven't seen that look on your face since the war!"

Okay…so she was insane…Maybe he could work with that.

"War." He stated, prying.

"Oh! You know!" She waved one arm dramatically, nearly staggering off balance. "With the Heartless and the Keyblade and whooshy-whoosh?" She gestured.

Oh, THAT war, he thought dryly.

"And…how long ago was that?" He pried.

She laughed so hard that she snorted. "Ah, let's see…Mikayla is 15 now soooo 16 years ago?" She grunted and looked at him. "You look right but…you're not."

Cloud tilted his head at her. "What?"

"Well…you're all…" She gestured at him with both arms. "Grumpy-looking."

Considering she had to be higher than a kite at the moment, and she had picked up on his lack of belonging much faster than the kids or even Leon, Cloud thought that maybe she could give him the information he wanted without her getting suspicious. Then again, he still had no idea who she was…but it was worth a shot.

"I'm not from here. I don't know how I got here or where even 'here' is." He confessed. "I just woke up after an attack by the Djinn Heartless—"

"Duuuuude." Her eyes widened. "You got mind-warped!"

She put her hands on either side of her head, looking more excited about the prospect than Cloud, who just regarded her flatly.

"That makes perfect sense!"

"What does it mean?" Cloud pressed, "How do I wake up?"

"It means that THIS," She spun in a little circle, "Is what your deep dark desire is!" She cackled, "A normal life, dude, nice. I respect it."

Cloud lifted a hand, "Wait, wait, wait, you're saying none of this exists? I'm really just unconscious somewhere?"

She paused, arms still up in the air. "I don't really know. I mean…I feel pretty real. The last 16 years feel real…" She poked him abruptly. "You feel real." She snorted again and traipsed toward her tent. "Maybe your mind was cast into an alternate dimension…like STASIS!" Her eyes widened, "Oh shit…Surely not Stasis all over again! Crap!" She glared up at the sky. "I command the sky to rain Raisin Bran!" She declared.

Cloud just gawked at her.

A beat passed.

She looked back to him and shrugged, "Nope, not Stasis…Hey!" She snapped her fingers, looking energized. "You hungry? I've got cereal—"

"No, hey, focus." He needed to get some answers already. "Who am I? Here, I mean. In this…whatever this place is…who am I?" He asked firmly.

She swayed slightly, but appeared to take him seriously. "You, sir, are Cloud Strife, husband, father, friend, and all around good guy." She winked innocently. "In that order."

Before he could question her logic, she stepped around her fold out chair and moved toward the tent, gesturing that he follow. Cloud was hesitant, but…honestly, if she was trying to lure him into a trap…given her state…he could handle whatever she threw at him.

"Come on, I'll show you." She gestured.

Clearly not, he frowned, paused, and apprehensively followed her into the tent. The interior of the tent smelled vaguely like marijuana, but any of the drugs that were there had been packed away. There was one large moving chest against one wall of the tent, half packed that he could see, and there was a hiking duffle lying against the adjacent wall.

The woman shuffled in and knelt by the chest, rummaging through it.

"I was just getting ready to move on, man." She mused aloud. "Leonhart, he's awesome, but I can't keep shadowing his doorstep with my lazy ass."

Cloud looked around the tent, grimacing slightly. If this was supposed to be his sub-conscious projection of what he wanted his life to be like…then what the Hell explained this?

"Aha!" She straightened, still on her knees, lifting up a thick book in victory. "Here we are." She turned around on her knees, stoned grin still in place. "This should help with some of those puzzle pieces." She tapped the cover affectionately.

He tentatively took the book. It was relatively nondescript; faded brown covers, a few scuffs and blemishes along the edges…a photo album. He opened the front page.

"Welcome to the future, man." She reclined against the chest, arms folded behind her head. "Look on, brother."

Well, it was his closest lead so far…

With an apprehensive breath, he looked through the album. There were dozens upon dozens of pictures carefully sorted and labeled in this album, in meticulous handwriting that couldn't belong to the shaky nutcase in front of him.

The first picture looked familiar, or at least the people in it looked familiar. The entire Restoration Committee outside Merlin's house, posing for the picture. Well, Yuffie was making a cross-eyed face and Sora and his friends were acting in kind, while Aerith, Tifa, Merlin, Cid, Leon, and Cloud were actually looking at the camera…looking…happy. Cloud blinked, staring at himself in the photo. The caption under the picture read: 'Restoration Committee after the war ended'.

Numbly, he looked at the other pictures. It was like a play by play of their lives after that point: the members of the Restoration Committee living their lives…and Cloud appeared just as many pictures as the rest of them. Like he belonged there or something.

"You joined the Restoration Committee near the end of the war." The woman seemed to see the confusion on his face. "I'm guessing whatever time you came from, it was before that."

Cloud tilted his head in answer, staring at a picture of a wedding, though it was slightly blurred with the motion of the subjects, he could clearly make out Tifa in a white dress and Aerith in a blue one. The caption: 'Tifa and Leon's wedding', with the date.

"Mikayla, Liam, and Katherine are…Tifa's kids. Leon's kids." He exhaled.

"Bingo." She pointed. "Seventeen years of the weirdest marriage I've ever seen." She snickered. "You and Aerith are a close second though."

Cloud balked at that, but she just gestured for him to keep looking through the album.

Like he had a choice at this point…

The next picture was darkly lit, perhaps at night outside, but he could make out himself and Aerith…dancing of all things…Blood hit his face and he cleared his throat, looking away before back at the photo. Aerith was in the middle of a laugh, and Cid was off to the side, smoking a cigar. Yuffie was beside him, mimicking him with a stick of chocolate. The caption was simply a date.

There were pages and pages of similar pictures…clearly both Leon and Tifa's wedding as well as his and Aerith's…That explained the ring on his finger…But it was almost impossible to believe. He had always had deep feelings for the flower girl, but he had never really had the gumption to tell her that…This…alternate-Cloud had actually had the balls to propose to her?

More pictures, just everyday moments that suddenly seemed not-so-everyday. Years passed in those pictures with every page and Cloud found himself getting sucked into this life.

One picture of what looked like Yuffie's boyfriend meeting the group…and Leon, Cid, and Cloud all giving the poor, skinny guy intimidating looks. Labeled 'Jake meets the family'.

A few pages later, a picture of Aerith and Merlin laughing in the background while Leon held a very young infant at arms' length with a look of terror on his face. 'Leon with Mikayla'.

More pictures and then one that caught him: the little girl Rose wrestling a toy from a red-gold retriever on the floor. 'Rose playing with Duke'.

The hippie woman had meandered over and was now looking with him over his shoulder.

"And that's your daughter." She input.

Cloud started slightly, having been too absorbed in the pictures to notice her. He had never put any serious thought toward what it would be like to have a family. Life was too dangerous to consider it. With Sephiroth hunting him constantly and the Heartless everywhere, the idea of family was the farthest thing from his mind.

But now, seeing that it was not only possible, but that it had happened already in this wacked-out place…It was…bizarrely comforting. Maybe life hadn't given up on him yet.

The next picture was labeled 'the three musketeers' and had the boy Liam and…Rose, again, Cloud stared at her for a moment—both kids sitting with another baby between them, Katherine, he presumed.

More years of pictures…Cid smoking outside with Leon's intern McCallister…Yuffie and Katherine in an office blowing bubbles…Cloud himself lying on the floor with Liam and playing checkers…Tifa and her daughter Mikayla both looking skeptical as Aerith told some story or another…Cloud and Leon both asleep on deck chairs on a back porch, Aerith and Liam sneaking up behind them with Super-Soakers.

There were more…two decades of pictures in this album.

It was numbing to the mind. And yet through the haze of incredulity and disbelief…

"Who are you?" He asked, looking to the woman, who had resumed packing her sparse possessions in the chest and duffle. "Did you take these?"

"Most of them." She responded, "I retired after the war. Bum hip." She swung her arm up into a sloppy salute. "Private Tabaeus McCallister, at your service, sir."

Cloud gawked. "McCallister?"

He wasn't around the quirky soldier very much, but from what he had seen, she was a by-the-book, do-it-once-and-do-it-right, stick-up-her-ass private…Perfect as Leon's intern. This…hippie…didn't resemble her at all.

"What are you doing…like this…in my…mind-warp?" He pressed, ignoring how absurd the question sounded.

She snorted. "What makes you think this is just a mind-warp? This is my reality. Leon and Tifa's reality. Aerith's reality…"

"But you said—" He pointed at her, confused. "This was a mind-warp."

"It is…but it's also an alternate reality, dude." She snickered.

Cloud blinked at her. "Does that only make sense when you're HIGH?"

She narrowed one eye in thought, "Probably…Here, I've got a joint somewhere—"

"What happened to you?" He waved off the offer.

She straightened, lifting her arms. "Life, man."

Cloud let that statement hang as he tried to wrap his mind around this. "So…This is my future, can we establish that much?"

"Absolutely not." She shook her head, finishing up with her packing and leading him out of the tent.

Cloud leaned against a tree, feeling any semblance of logic get ripped out from under him all over again. "Why not?"

"You can't predict the future. Just the fact that you're aware of this future changes it." She pointed out, as though this were the most obvious thing in the world. "You gotta dig in and work to make anything like this even remotely possible."

"Then how—"

"Ah-buh-buh!" She cut him off, tearing her tent down and starting to pack it away as well. "I'm not the information fairy, dude. No more questions."

Cloud ignored that. "How do I get back?"

"You WANT to get back? Wake up?" She looked surprised. "You're normal here. And you deserve it. Family, friends, no more running…What's wrong with that?"

Cloud didn't answer. The fact was, this wasn't his life because he hadn't earned it. This…other Cloud had…And he had just been thrown into it. But maybe it wasn't too late to earn this life…He rubbed the back of his neck and looked to McCallister, who was packing up her tent.

"So…what, it's a Wonderful Life and you're my Clarence?" He snarked.

She snickered at that and shouldered her bag. "You'll just have to find out."

Cloud glared at her. "That's completely unhelpful."

She saluted again, "Welcome to life…Enjoy the party."

Party. Cloud blinked, "That reminds me…Leon wanted me to remind you about that."

"Yes, yes, Yuffie, Aerith, and Tifa coming back from their weekend shopping trip. Celebrating Yuffie's work promotion." She bobbed her head. "That's nice of him to ask, but they don't need me there." She snorted ruefully. "Look at me. I don't exactly fit in."

Cloud wasn't sure what to say to that, so he didn't say anything.

"The invite is a nice gesture." She looked to the chest and the tent bag. "Tell him I'll have these two bags out tomorrow. My apartment should be de-bugged by now, so I can move back in." She smiled. "Scurry, dude, before the women get back."

Cloud glanced back toward the house and saw that Mikayla had brought the other three kids back. He took a step toward the house and then looked toward McCallister again, only to see that the woman was walking in the other direction.

He thought about pursuing her with more questions, but any answers that he might find were up the hill in the house, with those kids, and his friends, and his…daughter. Even if this reality—future—whatever it was—wasn't real…He could pretend for a little while, right?

Until he woke up…

If he woke up…

Pushing those thoughts aside, Cloud left the impromptu campsite and went up the hill, toward the Leonhart house. New thoughts kept ballooning in his head as he walked, pictures from the album plastering themselves across his vision. This kind of life was actually possible? Or maybe this was just part of the Djinn Heartless's game: trick and destroy. It wouldn't be the first time something like that had happened…

Rose's sudden laughter snapped his attention back to the house.

Leon had picked up Rose with one arm and Liam with the other, carrying them up the driveway like two sacks of flour. Mikayla was at the door, Katherine on her big sister's heels.

"Hey!" Leon called across the yard toward Cloud. "Does either of these creatures belong to you?" He asked, Rose and Liam wailing with laughter under his arms.

Cloud canted his head and reached the main part of the yard. "The one on your right looks familiar."

Rose, under Leon's right arm, swatted at the man's ribs. "Put me do-ha-ha-own!" She giggled wildly.

Leon grinned and swung Rose back onto her feet, letting her go. The little girl bolted away from him and sprinted towards the house, flashing Cloud the same mischievous grin that Aerith tossed around on occasion. He was momentarily paralyzed by it.

_I want this._

"No girls allowed in my room!" Liam shrieked, still hanging in Leon's left arm as Rose jumped up the stairs to the house.

Rose stuck her tongue out after him. Mikayla watched the little girl dart up the stairs and past her into the house. Katherine hung behind Mikayla, just watching the scene.

"Dad, put me down!" Liam whined, squirming. "No girls in MY ROOM!"

"What, you don't like hanging out with your old man?" Leon smirked at the boy's struggle. "You let your mom in your room."

"Mom is not a girl! She's Mom!" Liam whined. "Dad, I'm serious!"

Mikayla rolled her eyes as Leon set the kid back on his feet. Liam took off like a bullet, shoving the teenaged girl out of the way in his frustration to get to his room before Rose did.

"Hey, don't push your sister." Leon warned, smirk still in place.

Mikayla gave both Leon and Cloud a flat look before going into the house, Katherine trailing after her. Cloud looked from the house, across the yard, to Fenrir's black body on the curb. Suddenly it looked starkly out of place.

"Tabaeus?" Leon inquired as he got closer.

"Er—" Cloud offered a small shrug. "She said thanks but she's got…apartment…and something about bugs…"

Leon didn't look surprised. "Sounds about right."

Cloud glanced across the yard and then down at the ring on his finger again. It was still mind numbing to try and figure out what exactly this place was—dream or alternate reality or a delirium by the Djinn Heartless—but he found that he didn't really care at the moment.

A car horn's honking came from down the road, and both Leon and Cloud looked toward the street. A mustard-yellow convertible was chugging along toward the house. Leon grunted and looked at the time on his cell phone.

"Huh, they're early." He walked toward the driveway.

Cloud followed him, squinting at the car as it turned and parked behind the jeep. In the mindset that this was nearly twenty years after his reality, he found he could recognize the three women in the car. Yuffie was driving; the ferocious-looking car must have been hers. Aerith was in the passenger seat, and Tifa was alone in the back seat.

The honking had drawn the kids back out. Rather, Rose and Liam bounded out the door, tripping over each other and laughing. Mikayla waited until the rambunctious exodus before stepping out onto the porch, Katherine still tottering after her.

Yuffie opened her door and popped up, propping her elbows on the top of the car door. "We return in triumph!" She announced, her face still boasting mischief and immaturity, even though she had to be in her mid-thirties.

"I thought I felt a disturbance in the Force." Mikayla remarked from the porch with a smirk. "Or maybe just your bank accounts."

Yuffie stuck her tongue out as Aerith and Tifa climbed out of the other side of the car. Rose rushed to Aerith, her mother, and Aerith smiled, embracing the little girl. Something stabbed at Cloud's heart at the sight, but he didn't move.

Liam was less subtle, practically jumping on Tifa as soon as she had straightened. With a squawk, Tifa caught him and they both hit the grass, wrestling in their own kind of greeting.

"Wow," Yuffie tilted her head, looking at the balloons and barbecue that had been set up. "All of this for my promotion? Leon, you shouldn't have." She batted her eyelashes, clasping her hands together beside her cheek.

"Yeah, yeah." Leon chuckled at her, walking around to the back of the car. "What's the damage report?"

No sooner had he popped open the trunk, than shopping bags and boxes started to topple out: the spoils of the women's 'triumph' as Yuffie had put it.

"Holy—" Leon grappled with the avalanche of stuff and Yuffie hopped around to help him as Tifa got to her feet, Liam hanging off her back in a failed head lock.

Aerith released Rose and spotted Cloud, flashing a warm smile. "What, no hug for the returning warriors of the shopping mall?" She struck a pose.

Tifa snorted at her as she walked around behind Yuffie and Leon. "The big box is ours, but that blue bag is Aerith's." She remarked.

"And hello to you too." Leon huffed in mock-offense.

"Oh, sorry, hello, spouse." She snickered and kissed him on the lips briefly. "No, Yuffie, the box is mine, stop trying to smuggle it." She commented.

Cloud fidgeted as Aerith moved around the front of the car toward him, Rose holding her hand, wearing an identical beaming smile from her mother's. This was the moment of truth then. He had no idea how he was supposed to act now. So far any strange behavior of his from what this realm's Cloud was supposed to be had been overlooked by Leon and the kids, and McCallister—if she counted for anything—but he doubted he could fool Aerith, especially since they were married apparently.

Mikayla went to help her parents and Yuffie unload the car.

"Did you have a good trip?" Cloud tried to sound normal.

Aerith kept smiling, but a playful suspicion was already in her eyes. "Yes, we did." She sidled up to him and slipped an arm around his back, "I see you survived without me for a few days."

She kissed him then, and Cloud hesitated for just a split second before returning it. Her lips had a familiar taste to them, like she had done this a thousand times. It was the natural thing for a husband and wife to do.

"Katie," Tifa swept her youngest up in her arms. "Did you and your brother behave?"

Katherine hugged her tightly, but answered her quietly.

Aerith smiled up at Cloud as the kiss ended and Rose giggled at his side. This was his family. It was the first time in a very long time that he had felt like he belonged to a family. A short wave of dizziness prodded over his skull, but then it passed. The perplexity must have shown on his face, because Aerith laughed.

"You look like you spent some time in Tabaeus's opium tent." She snickered.

He managed a small smile of credulity at that, and Mikayla sauntered by with her arms' laden with bags. She ribbed Aerith lightly.

"More like his brain got rattled on Old Faithful." She nodded toward Fenrir on the curb.

Aerith glanced over, "I thought I saw that." She grinned up at Cloud. "Reliving the good old days?" She snickered.

"What good old days?" Leon jeered lightly as he followed Mikayla up into the house with the shopping bags. "I just remember the fighting and the war and that thick skull refusing to join the Restoration Committee."

"Cloud? A thick skull?" Tifa mused, "That's the pot calling the kettle black."

Leon made a face at her and Katherine laughed at him.

Cloud wasn't sure if he should defend himself or not, but their words were just affectionate ribbing. Rose broke away from them and hopped over to see what Yuffie was up to.

He looked back to Leon and Mikayla. "I seem to remember you being a bit of a stubborn mule yourself." He jousted back.

Mikayla snorted, "He's got you there."

Leon looked at her flatly, "What do you know? You weren't there."

Mikayla pointed to Tifa, "I've heard enough from Mom."

Leon balked at Tifa. "Traitor!"

Tifa shrugged and looked to Aerith and Cloud. "Shall we party?"

That was distraction enough, since as soon as the word 'party' was verbalized, Liam, Rose, and Katherine dug into those childish reserves of energy and dragged Yuffie and Tifa toward the back yard, where the grill was set up. The women didn't fight too hard, grinning as they went with the children.

Aerith watched them go and then leaned sideways, looking over to Fenrir. "Does it still run?"

Cloud snorted, "Of course it still runs. How do you think I got here?"

Aerith smirked and gazed up at him, her green eyes flashing brilliantly. "It's been a while since you've been the motorcycle stud." She winked flirtatiously. "What prompted this?"

"Just…got to thinking about the past." Cloud said, thinking it was a wild understatement, but willing to go with it.

A dull ache had settled into his neck and he rubbed his shoulder. The lightheadedness returned for a second wave, but it also passed again.

"You okay?" Aerith prompted.

Cloud looked at her for a long moment. A lot of emotions crashed through him then, none of which were strong enough over the others to identify. So he just said the only thing that felt true.

"I'm great." He smiled and kissed her again.

Any other time, it would have felt like a brazen thing to do, but now…she'd kissed him first, hadn't she?

"Ah, dammit, missed the whole show." A gravelly voice interjected.

Another vehicle had winged up into the driveway: a massive car that looked like it had driven right out of the 1960s. And behind the wheel, looking much older but just as cantankerous as any other time, was Cid Highwind.

"Oh, not the whole show." Aerith said, pointing to where Liam was about to jump in the pool.

Cid got out of the car and lit up a cigarette, nodding toward Fenrir. "What's with that?"

"CID!" Liam bellowed from the pool ladder in his swimming trunks. "WATCH ME!"

Cid lifted a hand, "I'm watchin'; stop your screamin'."

Cloud glanced over to see Liam dramatically vault off the ladder, fly spread eagle through the air, and impact the water in a spectacular bellyflop.

Aerith and Cloud both grimaced at the sound of it. That had to sting.

"Oh, shit." Cid snorted.

"You think THAT was good? That was weak!" Rose climbed up the ladder in her bathing suit as Liam popped back up to the surface. "CID! WATCH ME!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm watchin'. STOP SCREAMIN'!" Cid bellowed back.

"Rose, be careful." Aerith warned.

"I am, Mom." Rose reached the top of the ladder. "DAD, WATCH ME!"

Cloud waved at her and walked with Aerith and Cid to the closer part of the yard where the others were. Rose leapt off the ladder, pulled her arms and legs close, and did a cannonball just two feet from where Liam was treading water.

The splash smacked the boy in the face and Rose disappeared under the water. For a second, concern bubbled up in Cloud's throat, but then she bobbed up to the surface, her brown hair now a mop plastered to her head.

"Ooh, I sooo won that one." Rose taunted.

Liam splashed at her. "Did not!"

Both of them swiveled around. "CID! WHO WON?"

Yuffie strutted out of the house in her own bikini. "I think I'm about to!"

"NOO!" The two in the pool started swimming for the side opposite the ladder.

Aerith covered her mouth to stop the laugh. "Oh no."

"What? What 'oh no'?" Cloud asked, looking from Yuffie, to Aerith, and back to the pool scene, where Yuffie was ascending the ladder like an Olympic performer.

Tifa walked over to where Cloud, Aerith, and Cid were. "Cid, glad you could make it!"

"Yeah, not like I could miss the promotion/anniversary/vacation/barbecue party." Cid puffed on his cigarette.

"COWABUNGA!" Yuffie roared, dive-bombing into the pool like a pro.

The residual tidal waves lapped up over Rose and Liam, splattering over the walls of the pool…right on top of Leon and Mikayla, who had been fiddling with the barbecue grill.

Tifa covered her mouth as a laugh escaped. Katherine, having escaped the onslaught by a few meters, pointed and laughed. Leon and Mikayla—both soaked—looked at the girl with identical deadpan expressions. Liam and Rose were roaring with laughter in the pool.

For a minute, Cloud hoped that this wasn't just a dream-state.

And if it was, he hoped that he wouldn't wake up for a while.


	3. Part III

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, its characters or storyline. This story is mine, as are McCallister and the kids. Last chapter, enjoy!**

**..:-X-:..**

By the time the party had moved from full swing to winding down, the dull ache in Cloud's neck had become a persistent throb. He had always had a high threshold for pain, so it was nothing beyond a nuisance…but at times it was distracting from the people around him, and that was incredibly annoying.

Night had fallen across Radiant Garden, and the only light came from the city skyline several miles away and the interior lights of Leon and Tifa's house. Rose and Liam had swam, climbed, chased, played, and all else run themselves into exhaustion…Yuffie right alongside them.

So when those three collapsed on the familiar but still ugly couch in the living room, the rest of the group took the cue and moved everything indoors for the evening. Cloud found it easier by the passing minute to slip into the skin of this reality.

He was no stranger to teamwork and alliances, but working alone through the years had always been the safer, more efficient route. It had made sense at the time…but he'd be remiss if he didn't admit that being included in this tight group was…relaxing. Sure, in this context, he was just helping Leon pack away the grill and then making conversation Cid and Aerith…but it was…easy.

"Are you okay?" Aerith prompted after they had all been inside for about half an hour.

Cloud realized that he had been rubbing his neck, where that unfamiliar scar traced across his collar bone, and stopped the motion. "I'm fine." He assured with a small smile.

Aerith smiled back and then looked to the three lumps on the couch. "I think our daughter is buried somewhere in there."

"I don't know," Tifa remarked from where she was putting away leftovers. "They're all pretty tangled up in there."

"It wasn't eons ago when that was you guys," Cid teased Aerith and gestured from her to Yuffie to Leon, who was out of earshot by the back door. "Except this time Yuffie gets to be the oldest one."

"I'll say." Tifa snickered.

"I heard that." Yuffie grumbled, not opening her eyes.

The youngest, Katherine, covered her mouth with both hands where she sat on Cid's lap, and then looked up at him: as though Yuffie feigning sleep was quite scandalous.

Tifa wiped off her hands and stepped out of the kitchen, letting Mikayla take over cleaning. "And it is waaay past your bedtime, missy."

Katherine shook her head vehemently. "No!"

"Yes!" Tifa scooped her up and Cid snickered.

Aerith looked at Cloud as Tifa carried Katherine upstairs to put her to bed. "You're quiet tonight. You sure you're feeling okay?"

It was odd to consider that the fact that his being quiet was out of the ordinary.

"Yeah," He lifted one shoulder, "It's just been a long day."

"Hear, hear." Cid stood, stretching, "This old man needs to punch the clock for tonight."

"Better get going," Mikayla teased, "before the nurses at the old folks home realize you snuck out again."

"I'll put YOU in a home, ya imp." Cid threatened. "Respect your elders."

"Bye, Cid." Aerith said with a soft smile, interrupting what might have become a colorful back-and-forth between Cid and Mikayla.

Aerith had always been able to curb a conflict, and Cloud saw that this dream-state, mind-warp…acid trip…had kept her in kind. Cid said his goodbyes and went out to his car. As his headlights turned out of the driveway, Aerith sauntered over to help Mikayla put things away.

The ache in his neck shot suddenly up into the base of his skull, and pain throbbed behind his eyes. Cloud stifled a sharp inhale and sat as nonchalantly as possible into Cid's vacated spot before he could fall down.

Tifa returned downstairs and she and Aerith started talking about…something…maybe Rose just spending the night, since she was already asleep…And Yuffie was trying to bargain her way into sleeping over as well…since apparently she lived across town…

But Cloud couldn't focus on the conversation over the sound of his pulse in his ears. A mild panic began to set in. Was he about to wake up? Had the Djinn Heartless's grip on his mind passed? Was this ending? The idea of waking up now disturbed him more than he cared to admit, but…dammit, he liked this side of things. Where he wasn't the lone ranger or the outsider; where things were normal and he didn't have to look over his shoulder all the time; where he had friends and family and the air wasn't so heavy…

He sat as still as possible, hoping the lack of movement would lull the migraine and the neck ache into a settle. He managed to achieve that, for the most part, though he didn't test it by moving too much.

Now Yuffie was up, and her getting up had woken up Liam, who was getting fussy because he was tired. Cloud tried to focus on that to beat back the ache, and was able to push it out of his mind after a few minutes.

"Come on, kiddo." Yuffie got to her feet, yawning. "Time for bed."

"Don't wanna." Liam moaned.

"Too bad." Yuffie stretched and coaxed the boy to his feet. "Aerith said Rose could spend the night, so you better get rested up so you two can play tomorrow."

Liam looked placated by that, rubbing one eye, "You stayin'?"

Yuffie glanced outside of Cloud's periphery, but Tifa must have given her a thumbs up, because she chirped. "You betcha, kiddo."

She was able to get Liam upstairs to his room after that, though now Rose was awake, if barely. Cloud sat up straighter, rolling his neck gingerly to get rid of any lingering discomfort. Rose blinked once, yawned widely, and then looked at him with a tired stare. He stared back.

"Hey, Cloud, can I take Fenrir for a spin?" Mikayla prompted.

Aerith snorted as Cloud looked up at the girl. His attention drifted sideways to Leon in the doorway, making a cut throat motion.

"I don't think so." Cloud replied, looking back to Mikayla.

Mikayla, Aerith, and Leon were closer to the kitchen, and Cloud felt a little too far away from where he was sitting in the living room. His neck and shoulder were feeling better now, so he chanced standing up to go to the kitchen. Rose remained where she was, but she rubbed her eyes against the sleep.

"Hey," Mikayla had caught Leon's 'no' signal. "I've been around worse than that death trap. That old jeep, Cid's ship—"

"Cid let you fly his Gummi?" Aerith looked shocked.

"…once…" Mikayla said quietly.

Before Leon could pry into why that was, the migraine redoubled like a sledge hammer to the crook of Cloud's neck. It hit so hard and fast that he wasn't prepared for it. He screwed his eyes closed and lifted a hand to his collar. His point of balance abruptly shifted and he tripped sideways, grabbing onto the table.

"Cloud—" Aerith was immediately at his side. "What's wrong?"

Her words had to fight through a sudden fog in his ears, but he drew a slow breath. "Nothing. Just…lightheaded for a second."

When he opened his eyes, all of the colors were slurring together in a nauseating swirl. From experience, he knew he was close to collapsing, but he struggled to remain on his feet.

"Dad—" Rose sounded alarmed from the couch.

"Mikayla, take Rose upstairs." Leon said, sounding calm but clipped.

Mikayla moved around Aerith and went to the living room. "Let's go see what Liam and Yuffie are up to, eh?" She picked up Rose, who was still too trapped between sleep and awareness to put up a fight.

"Where is the pain coming from?" Aerith wasn't buying his 'I'm fine' act.

Cloud sighed in resignation. "Just a migraine."

He blinked a few times and looked sideways. Mikayla was carrying Rose upstairs, but the little girl was looking over Mikayla's shoulder, watching him with those green eyes…He didn't like that she looked scared, so he offered as much of a smile as he could manage and a little wave. Rose waved back tiredly.

"And it just snuck up on you like that?" Leon asked, opening a bottle of ibuprofen.

Cloud grunted something in reply, rubbing his neck and willing the pain to go away. It spread all the way from the back of his head, behind his eyes, down his neck, and across his shoulder, where that scar was. He couldn't remember getting that scar, but maybe this was just some phantom pain from the old wound.

Or maybe he was starting to wake up.

Dread filled him and a groan escaped. He kept his eyes closed again and felt Leon grab his upper arm.

"Whoa, whoa, easy there. Sit down."

Cloud blindly let Leon help him sit down. Without having to worry about standing up now, he leaned forward, elbows on his knees. He wanted more time here. He didn't want to wake up yet…eventually, maybe…but not right now.

The idea of losing all of this—the warm atmosphere and Rose and the tight friendships and Rose and Aerith and…Rose—and going back to the war and the hostility and the solidarity…It wasn't fair.

But life rarely was.

"Hey, you still with me?" Aerith was in front of him.

Cloud opened one eye and looked at her. "I'm still here."

She looked genuinely worried now. "Do you know where you are?"

What kind of question was that? Had he blacked out or something? He was losing track of time…He forced himself to sit up straighter, not liking Aerith looking scared either.

"Leon's house." He answered dryly, "It's getting better now. Really."

Leon looked concerned, "You really don't look good."

Cloud looked at him. "You're not exactly a beauty queen either."

Leon smirked at that, but Aerith frowned. "Maybe you should lie down."

"No. I'm fine." Cloud shook his head…bad idea.

Black out.

**..:-X-:..**

When Cloud next opened his eyes, he saw only wooden ceiling. He blinked a few times, feeling dazed and disoriented as the world around him came back into focus.

"Wow, that was fast." Yuffie chirped out of his range of vision.

Then her face appeared, hovering just above him. "Don't go into the light!"

"Ugh, Yuffie." Aerith appeared, goading the ninja away. "Leave him alone."

Both Aerith and Yuffie were here…but they—were so much younger now. Cloud just lay there for a moment, trying to figure out where he was before he had to ask. He turned his head slowly to the side and recognized Merlin's living room. Something hard and heavy slammed across his chest, and for a moment he wasn't sure what it was.

Disappointment.

The cool towel that someone—Aerith most likely—had placed across his forehead slid to the couch cushion. She deftly picked it up and moved it aside, looking down at him.

"Are you with us?" She asked, worry etched on her face.

Cloud looked at her. The pain had faded to a dull throb across his collar bone, easily ignored. He cleared his throat. "Yeah."

Relief flooded Aerith's face, though Yuffie just looked behind her.

"Props to Merlin! It took barely two minutes for him to wake up." She quipped.

Cloud followed her gaze and saw Cid pecking away at the computer against the wall. The older man glanced over, hmphed, and got back to whatever he had been doing.

"Oh, he's just peeved because Merlin's magic cocktail worked better than rubbin' dirt in it." Yuffie snorted.

"What—" Cloud started, finding his voice hoarse.

"Do you remember what happened?" Aerith asked gently.

Cloud squinted slightly, but all he could remember was a mailbox with 'Strife' on it, Liam bellyflopping in the pool, Leon and Yuffie unloading that hideous car, McCallister's photo album, Rose…Rose…then the Djinn Heartless, lunging at him in the Borough.

"Yeah." He mumbled, getting one elbow under himself to sit up.

"Take it easy." Aerith chided softly. "You just woke up."

Cloud managed to lever himself up so that he was sitting on the couch inside of lying across it, and absently lifted a hand to his neck. His fingers met thick bandage gauze and he paused, looking at his shoulder.

A few little spots of red were showing through the thick dressing across his collar. It looked like it should hurt like a bitch…but it didn't quite…not like it had earlier—in the dream.

He grimaced at that thought and looked to Aerith. "How long was I out?"

"Nearly an hour." Aerith tilted her head thoughtfully. "How are you feeling?"

Like I just had the rug ripped out from under me…again, he mused, but didn't answer right away. Merlin's house was relatively empty. Yuffie was leaning over the back of the couch, looking at him like he was the latest carnival side show entertainment. Aerith was perched on the edge of the coffee table in front of him. Cid was at the computer, wrapped up in his work.

Wait…only an hour?

But in the…dream…mind-warp…alternate reality place…He had been there for an entire day. That didn't make any sense. Aerith looking at him expectantly…Had she asked something?

"Been better." He remarked, then, "Fine."

"We thought we were going to have to amputate." Yuffie snorted, poking his elbow.

Aerith ignored her. "The wound was deep, but only superficial, thank goodness." She swallowed. "You had me worried."

"It's just a scratch." Cloud tried to reassure her.

"Well, duh," Yuffie laughed. "She's talking about the whole poison thing."

"Poison…"

"That was the same Heartless I was tellin' everybody about!" Yuffie gave a long-suffering sigh. "You guys didn't believe me, and I sooo told you so." She looked at him. "So what was it like?"

"Getting my neck clawed open? Um, it hurt." Cloud remarked sarcastically.

"No! No, no, no, I mean the dream-state! Did you go all Neo in the Matrix or what?"

Fortunately, the door opened and Tifa walked into the house before Cloud had to come up with a painful response to the question.

"There were a few more loitering around the Postern," She told Cid when he turned around to face her. "But no more of those…Djinn Heartless."

"Maybe it was just the one." Cid replied, scratching the stubble on his jaw.

Tifa lifted her shoulders, "Leon doesn't want to take any chances. He took a few soldiers out to do a sweep of the ruins."

"Hey, Tifa," Yuffie prompted. "Look, it lives!"

Tifa glanced over to Yuffie and saw Cloud. Some weight slid off her shoulders visibly. "Good to see you conscious." She said, crossing the room but stopping a few steps shy. "After all the trouble that Heartless gave us, we weren't sure if you were going to wake up."

"Merlin modified a Cure Spell." Aerith answered. "It neutralized the venom that caused the hallucination. He just came to a few minutes ago."

Cloud was still trying to shift gears back to this reality. It was the only reality, really. Time travel was impossible…and obviously he hadn't gone anywhere, since he'd collapsed after being attacked by the Heartless and Aerith and Yuffie had been with him for the entire hour that he was unconscious.

The thought wasn't comforting. That meant that it was all fake. The house, the mailbox, the kids, the friendship, the peace, the being married part, and Rose…He grimaced and looked at his hands. None of it had been real. It had really all been a dream, induced by the venom in the Heartless's claws when they hit him.

"Well, at any rate, I'm glad you're okay." Tifa replied with a small smile. She looked back to Cid. "I just wanted to let you know about the Heartless. I've got patrol now."

"All right." Cid nodded.

"Be careful." Aerith clasped her hands together. "It could still be out there."

Cloud blinked, looking at the flowergirl. "It escaped?"

One Heartless attacks the Restoration Committee RIGHT outside Merlin's house and it got away? That made less sense than McCallister smoking a hooka in her tent.

"I'll go with ya!" Yuffie sprang halfway across the room. "I want another shot at it. Besides, if it gets you too, you'll need back up."

Tifa looked on the verge of refusing, but then sighed, "All right. Let's go."

As the two women left, Cloud looked back to Aerith. "How did it get away?"

Aerith straightened her dress. "We've fought a lot of Heartless…but this thing moved like…Leon managed to hit it once, but it was too dark to track it. He and Yuffie went after it while Tifa and I bandaged you up," She sighed, "but it just vanished."

Cloud slowly stood—against Aerith's disapproving noises—and gingerly stretched. "If there's just the one Heartless that's doing this; it's more of a nuisance than a threat. I mean, I'm fine. Just one hit."

Aerith paused, standing as well and frowning. "Cloud…the man that Yuffie was talking about…The first victim of the Djinn Heartless…He was in the delirium for nearly two days before he woke up."

It sounded like good news, but her expression was somber, so Cloud didn't say anything.

She continued. "He was perfectly fine, stable, and released from the hospital within hours. But…whatever happened in this…dream…messed him up so badly that…He couldn't handle it and we heard half an hour ago that he jumped off the castle ruins."

Cloud stared at her.

She swallowed hard, "What happened in this dream…delirium…?"

Wait, she didn't think—

"Aerith, I'm not going to kill myself." He said firmly. "He could have had any number of other problems…besides, he was out for two days. I was barely out for an hour."

But if one hour here was an entire day there, and he had been unconscious for two days…That was over a month in that dream…He couldn't say he really blamed the guy. Saying that out loud surely wouldn't make Aerith feel any better, so he folded his arms.

"What happened in there?" She pried, looking unconvinced.

How was he supposed to explain the other place? Here, it sounded ridiculous, impossible, and flat out made up. And considering the last conversation that he and Aerith had had before the Djinn sent him to Lala-land…He just didn't see that explanation going over very well.

Again, he was mercifully saved from attempting it as the door opened again.

Private McCallister entered the house, starched uniform back in place. "Sir." She greeted.

Cid looked at her. "What now, McCallister?"

She stood with her heels together. "The system in Ansem's Office has been rebooted and the claymores are back up to full operation." She reported curtly.

"Good." Cid tweaked the toothpick between his teeth. "Any updates on that Heartless?"

"None, sir." She replied. "But we're continuing to patrol the town perimeter."

"All right, all right." Cid waved her off.

The back door to Merlin's house clanked open and shut in the back room, and a beat later Leon walked in, Gunblade painted purple from the mid-point to the tip. The oily tint of the purple was the telltale sign that it was Heartless blood.

Aerith gasped and McCallister shot to attention.

"Got it." Leon grunted, holding the blade away from his person.

"Clearly." Cid snorted. "Give ya any trouble?"

Leon made a low noise, picking up a towel hanging in the kitchen area of the house and wiping it along the blade. "There should be enough of the venom for Merlin to develop another antidote for public inoculations." He put the towel in a plastic bag to contain the poison.

"Did you see any others like it?" Aerith asked.

Leon looked over to Aerith and saw Cloud vertical. He gave no real reaction to the sight. "No. But that doesn't mean they aren't out there." He gave Cloud a onceover. "Are you right in the head?"

Cloud returned the frown. "Yeah."

Leon gave a barely perceptible nod and looked to the soldier. "McCallister."

"Sir." She straightened more—if that was possible.

"There have been a lot of skirmishes around the Postern since the claymore system came back online. Take a group down there and secure it." He nodded toward the door.

"Yes, sir." She quickly darted out the door to carry out the order.

Well, it looked like the stick had found Leon's ass again.

"Is Merlin here now?" Leon asked.

"He should be in his study." Aerith gestured to the hallway.

Without another word, Leon picked up the bloody towel in the plastic bag and went to the study to find the tottery old sorcerer. Cid spun back to his computer and resumed typing.

Cloud hesitated. The remnants of the dream were starting to fade already, seeming less and less plausible by the minute…but they were plausible, right? Outlandish, sure, uncharacteristic of him, yeah, but…plausible.

"Aerith." He said after a beat.

She canted her head, "Yes?"

"I want…Can we talk?" He asked.

Her eyes lit up like candles. "Of course!"

He glanced over to Cid's back and nodded to the door. Aerith followed him out of Merlin's house. It was still the middle of the night. The street lamps were lit, cutting the blackness back into the corners.

She had asked him before all of this mess to try and get along with the rest of the Restoration Committee. Easier said than done…as in no way, Jose. He had never really tried to get out of the lukewarm acquaintance zone, and it had cost him his friendship with Tifa and any of the marginal niceties that Leon tossed his way.

And he knew the dream could easily have just been a dream; the torturous workings of a Heartless-derived venom intended to rob him of his senses long enough to short circuit his brain. There was always that…But the more he thought about it, Cloud was starting to realize that even if he had ruined every second, third, and fourth chance he'd been given, that maybe there was one more chance.

But that sounded dangerously close to optimistic, so he was wary.

"Okay." He exhaled as if it was a deep confession.

Aerith narrowed one eye. "Okay…what?"

"Okay, I admit it." He dropped his hands to his sides. "You were right. Maybe I do…want to get along with—" He gestured to Merlin's house. "—them."

Aerith clapped her hands together once and bounced on her heels. "I knew you would thaw out eventually!"

Cloud remained deadpan at that and she lowered her hands.

"What prompted this?" she swung her arms behind her back and leaned in. "What HAPPENED in that dream?"

Cloud absently rubbed his shoulder again. "Nothing I want to repeat."

"Was it a field of flowers or something?"

Cloud looked at that oddball comment. "No, why?"

"Well," Aerith shrugged, "For the most part, you were just out cold the whole hour, but you mumbled a few things once or twice…most of it wasn't intelligible, but I thought I heard you say 'rose' a few times."

Cloud came to a standstill. "I did?"

"Yeah." She looked at him. When he didn't explain, she gave him a flat look. "You say you want to talk, but when I ask you something, you won't answer? What's with that?"

He huffed, "I just said that I wanted to be part of the Restoration Committee—something you've been trying to get to me to do for weeks—and you're complaining?"

She laughed at him then, and he just stared at her.

"Okay, okay," She lifted a hand, "Sorry. Thanks." She quieted. "You really want to join up? Seriously? Really?" She was genuinely trying to figure him out.

Cloud felt the sudden desire to kiss her. In the other reality—dream, whatever—that would have been expected. But here, awake, it would…not be normal. He must have looked awkward, because Aerith fidgeted once…and then jumped on him.

It was an abrupt hug, arms around his neck and everything. The weight of her upper body woke up the pain in his collar, but he ignored it and deftly put his arms around her in return.

"Thank you." She said in the embrace. "You won't regret this."

"I know." Cloud set her back on her feet.

"You do?" She smiled, "I'm sure the others will be happy that you joined too."

Cloud wasn't too sure about that, "Tifa didn't look too thrilled. Or Leon for that matter."

"I don't know." Aerith offered lightly, "He did kill the Djinn Heartless."

**..:-X-:..**

**A/N:** Thanks for reading all the way to the end! I hope the fluff didn't choke anybody.

This marks the end of my 'let's alienate Cloud' saga. Ostracizing him has been fun, but it's time to let him in the club. He's earned it. So he's off the downhill and on the uphill climb now, but it won't be easy getting Tifa's favor back or Leon's favor to begin with.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed! Constructive criticism is always welcome and appreciated!


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